Clermont Congregation's response to the Galilee Basin SDA

An open letter from the Clermont Congregation of the Uniting Church in Australia

March 25, 2014

We write because we believe a great injustice is about to be done in the state of Queensland.

It has been our privilege to stand beside the farmers of our region for the last four years, in particular through contact with our minister, Rev Dr David Ferguson. These people are not anti-development, but have lobbied successive governments to negotiate with them to ensure that the proposed railway between the Galilee Basin and the coast takes into account the needs of their businesses and does not unnecessarily disrupt the hydrology of the area, flooding their properties every wet season.

These farmers have lobbied government and have been through the heartbreak of broken promises. They have worked through the system and they have never broken the law or descended into abuse even though the system places them at a significant disadvantage with restricted time to respond to lengthy and technical documents and assumes that an engineer with a spreadsheet knows more about the hydrology of an area than people who have worked the land for generations. 

Sadly, this is still too much scrutiny for billionaires, multinationals and our state government to allow. These people fighting for their rights cause uncertainty for financiers and thus it has been proposed to establish the “Galilee Basin State Development Area.” 

This act of regulation would essentially set the area apart for the specific purpose of transporting coal from the proposed Galilee Basin mines to the coast with all other land uses allowed only if they do not affect the primary purpose of the land. It removes planning rights from local government and delivers it to the state. It removes any sense of negotiation between locals and developers as plans are negotiated between the developers and the government with the local land users only being compensated after work on their land commences. 

Can you imagine that? The land that you have worked for a purpose beneficial to your family, your community and the state is now arbitrarily set apart for another purpose.

Of course we are all familiar with easements and other needs for the public good to override individual rights and this regulation has been applied in other areas. What makes this proposal unique is the fact that the proposed State Development Area is 30 km wide and 500 km long. It covers 18 000 km², almost 1% of the surface area of our state. It encloses 100 farms and two urban areas. It encloses significant areas of prime agricultural land and profitable horticultural land.

We say again, there are other ways to achieve the proposed railway development. Such projects already have significant legal advantages over local landholders under other regulations.

The people we live alongside with are not anti-development, but they are against development at all costs. They actually hoped that at one stage they would be able to use the railway to open up new opportunities in their area.

 Extinguishing the legal and property rights of all other producers over such a broad swath of the state is going too far. For the sake of local people and the people of this great state of Queensland, we appeal to the government to stop this unjust and sweeping action.

 

On the "common good" and personal evil

In the Gospel of John it is Caiaphas who says "Don't you realise that it is better for you to let one man die for the people, instead of having the whole nation destroyed?" (11: 50, GNB) Of course this is a unique case, and the person being spoken of was willing to lay his life down for not just all of the nation, but for all of creation. It is a lot easier for us to volunteer someone else to suffer than to elect to take the sacrifices ourselves. Quite often it is the few of the "other" who have to take a big hit so that all may benefit.

This is happening for us all on our behalf, usually without our knowledge: those who oppose progress are seen as "obstructionist" and often find themselves crushed under the wheels of law or regulation in our name without us even knowing.

Today I had the uncomfortable situation on meeting with this face to face. I was in a meeting with many graziers who own properties within the proposed "Proposed Galilee Basin State Development Area." These people all make a living out of properties lying along the proposed railway corridor between the proposed coal mines in the Galilee Basin and the proposed port at Bowen. They have been collectively negotiating with the project proponents for many years with the objective of minimising the disruption to their businesses from the easement (which in one case I heard diagonally bisects a property) and the effects that this will have on the floodplain (apparently there are consultants out there who believe that a raised railway will not effect the flow of water in flood seasons). They have negotiated in good faith and within the law.

Apparently, this is not enough any more. Their efforts have been troublesome for proponents and the government. The state government (which has already reneged on pre election promises made to this group) is seeking to designate an area for the project to proceed with minimal disruption for the proponents. This instrument has been used in the past to designate small areas of land to ensure a project may continue. The purpose of the instrument is for the state government (on our behalf) to designate the primary purpose of the land to be the construction of the railway and to set the rules of engagement between landowners and developers in such a way that the desired development is best progressed. The state government also takes planning approval responsibility away from local government in the area and is based around the principle of activities that are suitable with the intended purpose and those that are unsuitable. The requirements for consultation with local landowners (or even informing them until projects are approved) are removed, and the discussion of compensation for landowners only need occur after work on the project has commenced.

The scale of this proposed area is truly enormous. It stretches 500 km and is 30 km wide, encompassing 18 000 square kilometers. Some of this is prime farming land (250 000 hectares) or horticultural land (140 000 hectares), all of which has been dedicated to the single purpose of enabling projects to occur on our behalf (even if their benefit is being brought into question - see the Australia Institute's economic modelling for further information). It may only be 100 businesses standing between the now and the next mining boom for the state, but these are real people and they rightly feel abandoned by our politicians, our bureaucracy and society as a whole. They are voiceless and powerless in the face of big business and the ignorance of our broader community.

This is occurring at the same time as the trimming back of green tape. One of the proposed changes is removing the need to publically release all mining proposals for comments. This is proposed to be reduced to a 'local only' approach where only local councils or effected landowners are allowed to contest the approval of mining leases. The ability of other organisations to contest the Environmental Impact Statement remains, but the shortening of the notice time means that it will be very difficult for groups from the broader society to make comment - and they are to be restricted to comments on 'local issues' only. In other words, we as a society will only hear of a mine proposal after it has been approved, and then will be only be able to discuss the mitigating factors rather than the project itself.

So, back to us. There is a movement that looks at the way asylum seekers are treated in our name and says (quite rightly) that the government has exceeded its mandate to act on our behalf. This, also is happening in our name. While these people will be compensated to a certain degree, the rights that they have had to have a say of what happens on their own land has been greatly degraded (and their economic futures irrevocably harmed). This has happened in our name, and because it is a long way from cities, with very little scrutiny by the general population.

So, I repent of the ignorance I have of our political and regulatory processes, my willingness to be sucked into a system that disguises personal abuse as democracy and my failure to act on behalf of this particular group over the years. I can only commit myself to listen to people in these and similar situations and to continue to proclaim the truth of what is happening in any way possible.

To the GBSDC effected farmers, I am truly sorry for what is happening to you in my name and ask your forgiveness.

On minutes of appreciation

The last month or so has been pretty intense for us, I have been called to leave the placement I have served in for over five years and we have accepted. The change of placement is not an easy time, particularly in small communities like ours. The tasks of letting go of the old and picking up the new are hard enough without the simple practical requirements of packing and cleaning a house.

Last weekend was our Presbytery, our regional meeting. I have been a member of this Presbytery for over a decade, grew into ministry under their care, have been entrusted with their youth camp many times and have served in their leadership group. Thus the weekend was full of discussions about leaving and our reasons for doing so.

One of the traditions in the Uniting Church is that ministers leaving a Presbytery are presented with a minute of appreciation, a formal statement thanking them for their service within their congregations and within the region. It is a beautiful gift to hear your own eulogy, or even a part of it. It has been wonderful for me to hear the appreciation of those I have served and served with. Like many ministers I have high expectations of myself and am more likely to see where I would rather be than how far I have come, so receiving statements like these is quite a blessing. You can be assured that these statements will be kept to be an encouragement for me when times get hard.

The key statement came from a neighbour and friend who reflected on my work with the youth camp, after a paragraph thanking me for my wise and intelligent insight:

"Fergs, as David is fondly known by all who attend CQ Rendezvous, is a big kid at heart. The youth task group has been inspired and mentored by a child of God who though he is big in stature still comes to God with the heart of a child. Fergs willingly sits at the feet of Jesus with a teachable soul and is passionate in his work to guide people of all ages in their relationship with God."

What a wonderful compliment and reminder this is. Thanks, Suzy!

In this I am reminded of the task of ministry that Brueggemann reminds us of: we are a prophetic religion in that we go up the mountain and down again. We seek to encounter God not for our own sake, but the sake of the world. Our authority in ministry does not come with theological degrees or personal charisma, it comes from our willingness to submit to the will of Christ. I pray that my heart may continue to be open to God and that this characteristic will only grow in the future. It is my belief that wisdom arises from experience and it is only when we retain a teachable spirit that we may grow in wisdom (or even retain it).

But even this reflection misses the ultimate compliment. There can be no greater compliment than to be called a child of God. I still need to pinch myself sometimes that God is willing to work through my life. In our articulation of call, we seek God's will rather than ours and it is this that draws me forward. I have been so privileged to share in people's lives and experiences beyond myself, and for that I can only thank God and give God the glory.